A Glass of Crimson Souls
by Jin Hime
Summary: "Is it okay to fall in love with one of the beasts I swore I hated?" the silver-haired man finally inquired, agitated by relentless doubts that plagued him. "You already have, so I don't see why your asking. But, I'll answer your stupid question, anyway. Of course it's okay. After all, hate is another form of love, they say." Reah sneered her reply, obnoxious as ever. [OCxZero]


Chapter One: Of Darkness and Eccentrics

* * *

_Flowers bloom_

_My condolences to thee_

_Thy beauty is does not compare to mine_

* * *

Senka Shiki leaned against the banister on the second floor of the dark, dusty old manor, silently watching her mother sitting on the steps below. Senka's mother, Senna, had been sitting on the cold marble steps for two hours now, waiting for her son, Senri Shiki, to arrive. At this point, Senka was mostly sure her little brother was not going be back today, seeing as sunrise was only thirty minutes away. She sighed, walked the short distance to the staircase, and made her way down the marble steps to her mother. She would simply have to convince the mahogany-haired woman to give up on waiting for Senri and go to sleep.

Senka sat down next to Senna on the cold stairs. She took in her mothers profile, and felt as if she was looking into a mirror. In fact, Senka was almost a carbon copy of the other woman: they had the same unruly dark mahogany hair, the same sickly pale (almost gray) complexion, the same thin physique, and even the same thin strapped indigo dress that floated elegantly above the ground. The key diffrence between mother and daughter were the eye colors each had. While Senna's eyes were the same ringed, pale blue as Senri's, Senka's were different. Senka had inherited her eyes from her father, or at least the colors. While her right eye was a sparkling, clear sky blue, her left eye was a deep crimson.

"Mother," Senka whispered gently, "it's almost sunrise. You should sleep. I'm sure Senri will be here tomorrow; we can even wait for him together."

Senna looked at her daughter from the corner of her eye. Her head was resting on the railing next to her, arms lying uselessly at her sides. Her face was devoid of expression.

"Okay." Senna replied to her daughter, not looking at the other woman's face.

Senka smiled gently at her mother, though the smile didn't quite reach her eyes. She helped Senna rise to her feet, and guided the blank-faced woman up the staircase and to the door of her room. Senka pushed open the heavy oak door of her mother's room and led the woman in. The room itself was devoid of any furnishing except for a grand bed fit for a queen in the center of the room, and a velvet cushioned chair with golden vine embroidery next to the bed. The bedding and canopy were similarly embroiderd in gold. The drapes matched the bedding, but were incredibly thick and currently closed so as to not let any sunlight in.

Senka helped her mother to the chair and fixed the bedcovers; Senna waited for the dual-eyed woman to finish quietly. In a few minutes, Senna was tucked in her bed, ready to sleep.

"Do you need anything else, Mother?" Senka inquired politely.

"No." Senna replied after a seconds hesitation, "I don't need anything."

Senka stood still for a moment, before turning to leave, but her mother's call stilled her feet. She turned back around to face the woman, waiting to hear whatever it was Senna wanted.

After a moment Senna finally spoke, "Your _eyes_, Senka. They look so much like _that _person's eyes. _I hate your eyes_."

The woman stared at Senka with silently simmering dislike painted on her face, before turning away. As for Senka, she was staring emotionlessly at her mothers form hidden under the bed sheets. Despite her blank face, Senka could feel a dull ache forming where her heart should be.

_I should be used to this. _Senka mused within her mind, self-deprecatingly.

The pale young woman left Senna's room with a slightly bitter smile on her face.

* * *

"Ah, Big Sister."

Senka gasped and rounded on her heel. Her eyes found the form of her little brother standing in front of the closed entrance door, a small suitcase in hand. The young woman's face lit up with a genuine smile, and she wasted no time in racing toward the staircase. By the time she got to the staircase, her little brother was already standing there.

"Senri!" she exclaimed, elated, before pulling the young man into a bear hug.

"Can't breath.." the mahogany-haired man stated apathetically.

"Oh, whoops!" Senka giggled before releasing Senri from her grasp.

The duel-eyed woman stepped back and adoringly observed her baby brother's blank face. Senri didn't facially smile back at her, but his eyes did. In you looked closley, his eyes held a considerable amount of warmth that contrasted with his expressionless face. Senri did _indeed_ love his sister.

"Your being a creep." Senri deadpanned.

No, really, he did.

"Sorry, sorry! I just haven't seen you in so long... I've missed you, Senri." Senka replied with a gentle smile.

Senri stared at his sister. He loved her, but he couldn't help but feel he'd failed her as a brother. Senka was trapped within this house, while he could roam relatively free in the outside world. But of course, his face gave away none of his thoughts. His perfect emotionless mask remained in place.

"You must be tired," Senka started, "how about you get some rest?"

Senri nodded, then yawned, confirming Senka's theory. The young woman giggled, then led the way to his room, indicating with her head for him to follow. Senri followed behind her without a word, carrying his suitcase along with him.

* * *

With a flourish Senka opened the door to Senri's room.

"And here it is," Senka said happily, while stepping into Senri's old room, "I kept it nice and clean for you!"

Senri looked around the room he had spent his younger years in. It hadn't changed much: There was a bed much like the one in their mother's room, dark wooden night stands on either side, and heavy drapes that were drawn shut. True to his sister's words, there was not a speck of dust to be seen. Senri walked over to his bed and sat down placing his suitcase by his feet. After he straightened himself, he studied his elder sibling. She hadn't changed much, either. But she looked tired, and there were bags under her eyes. He blinked and patted the space next to him. She smiled and took a seat next to him.

"Your tired." Senri pointed out bluntly.

"You don't need to worry about me, Senri." the mahogany-haired woman replied with a smile.

But he did worry. How could he not?

"Where's Mother?"

"I had her go to bed, to rest. I thought you wouldn't come today."

Senri nodded; he actually preferred that his mother was asleep. He didn't have the energy to deal with her right now. He winced slightly as he felt a brief flash of hunger overwhelm him, turning his eyes red and breaking his mask for half a second. But half a second was just enough for his sister to notice.

Frowning, Senka inquired stonily, "Your hungry, Senri? You haven't been feeding well, have you?"

"I'm fine." Senri stated apathetically, brushing off his sister's concern.

"It's not fine Senri. You need to feed, _now_." Senka insisted.

Senka had every reason to be worried. Senri had had a slightly weaker body in his younger years, and though he was normal now, he had a tendency to disregard his health at times. Mostly for the sake of sleeping and lazing around eating pocky.

Senka shook her head and sighed. _Some things never change_. The young woman pushed her hair back, exposing the right side of her neck. She tilted her neck to the left, giving Senri more access.

"Here," Senka said gently, "feed."

Senri stared. He was hungry, but there were a thousand reasons why he shouldn't feed from his sister. Namely, Senka being tired, but most prominently, _her blood_. It was taboo to drink blood like her's after all. And he didn't want to _hurt _his beloved sister.

"It's fine, Senri. It won't affect you. And you won't hurt me. I know you won't." Senka gently eased away his worries.

They both knew her blood wouldn't effect him, as Senri had more than once fed from her as a child. Despite Senka being what she is, they both still had the same blood from the same parents, which dulled the euphoric and maddening effect of her blood on Senri. Such also applied to Senka's mother.

Nevertheless, perhaps being around Kaname had changed his views on drinking so freely from his sister. But even so, he knew it was those bags under his sister's eyes, the bags that didn't belong there, that caused him to falter.

"Senri." Senka pressed her blank faced brother.

He hesitated for a minute, the reached out, gently wrapping his arms around his sisters thin waist. He drew himself to her and poised his mouth above her exposed neck. Then, he bared his fangs and sunk them into the warm flesh of her neck. Senka winced when he bit down, feeling the pain echo dully within her body.

Senri pulled his fangs from the puncture wound and placed his mouth over the red liquid that bled out. He drank, letting the lavish red liquid rejuvenate him. At the same time, worry for his sister incessantly gnawed at him.

Senka huffed quietly, feeling her strength draining away bit by bit. She wrapped one arm around her brother's torso and pressed the other lightly on the back of his head, seeing as Senri's face was currently buried in her neck. The young woman's eyes glazed over as she slowly lost feeling in her arms, her legs, and the rest of her body. Senka's eyes rolled into the back of her head as she surrendered herself to the sweet darkness of the abyss.

As soon as his sister lost conscience, Senri pulled away from her neck. He frowned slightly at her small form in his arms, and gently laid the young woman on the soft bed. He had moved himself off the bed in the process, and was now kneeling over his sister. He wiped away the excess blood on her neck with his thumb and watched as the wound almost instantly patched itself.

Senri observed his sister for a moment longer before he lifted himself up. He turned to his suitcase, opened it, and took out a change of clothes. He set the suitcase noiselessly on the floor and padded over to the oak door, opening it gently. The young man stepped out the room and turned on his heel. He looked at the sleeping form of his sister for a second, then silently closed the door. Looks like he would be sleeping in his sister's room tonight. Senri padded down the darkened hallways with a grace and silence only a vampire could have.


End file.
